As women who have experienced the metamorphosis of pregnancy between us, four times, we are well versed in the sometimes-unpleasant changes that occur. We are also all too familiar with the need to try and stay positive and have a positive attitude to all that is happening.
Easier said than done, we know: when our bodies couldn’t keep running, training and exercising the way they always used to, we talked about how we felt betrayed that our strong, resilient bodies had been traded in for loose joints, fatigue and crummy endurance! The best and hardest lesson we learned during pregnancy was to roll with what our bodies could still do and let go of our old expectations for a while. So we’ve compiled a few key tips on dealing with your body image during pregnancy that every girl needs to know.
Let it Go Pregnancy Life-Hacks
1. Accept that your body is not your own (for a little while). You’ve got a roommate for 40 weeks while a miracle is happening. Remember to be kind to yourself and be patient because your body is busy growing another human which is pretty exhausting! Be the best version of you NOW.
2. Focus on being healthy and strong not skinny. A healthy, happy mum makes a healthy happy bub. Turf any ideas of a celebrity pregnancy and an instantly slim post baby body, it ain’t real ladies! There is no need to put pressure on yourself to instantly “snap back” to your pre-baby body. It took nine months for your body to get ready to deliver your baby so you need to cut yourself some slack and allow the same amount of time to get your body and your strength back. Keep it real.
3. You are not a failure if you don’t exercise one hour every day. Remember, any amount of exercise is better than sitting on the couch so try to fit in 20 minutes a day of “something” as many days a week as you can. Walk a few hills, bust out some squats, dance like Beyoncé or find an exercise video you like. Twenty minutes of high intensity and quality exercise each day can change your life.
4. You NEED rest. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss your workout or you’re too tired to workout. Show yourself some kindness and remember tomorrow is another day to start fresh. Also, during pregnancy and postnatal, you should rest your overworked pelvic floor by lying down (not sitting) for 15 minutes once or twice a day. When you feel that heavy brick feeling in your uterus it’s your pelvic floor telling you it’s pooped. It’s actually medically recommended for you to put your feet up for 15 minutes; one to two times daily is our prescription.
5. Stay positive and let it go. Let got of your body criticism, your guilt about eating and exercise. Let go of your lack of concentration or poor motivation to work like you used to. Your life is starting to go through a huge change; it’s not bad it’s just different and having this kind and positive approach can really help how you deal with things as they change. Pregnancy is only a short blip in the life of a woman and you’ll have control of your body again later. But, for now, let it go, it’s ok.
To share our holistic approach we are excited to be partnering with Joolz and to be a part of their Positive Studio free event being held in Sydney on 8-11 October. Click HERE to book a spot! We are in love with the Joolz philosophy of creating positive life experiences for parents with sustainability in mind. Hope to see you there!
